Winter Spice Granola
This granola makes a great edible gift and was a hit amongst some of my coworkers several years ago. Feel free to customize with your favourite nuts, seeds, spices and dried fruit. Pack it up in a decorative mason jar and don't forget to attach the recipe!
Author: Vincci Tsui, RD
Recipe type: Breakfast/Brunch, Snack, Vegetarian, Vegan
Makes: 12 cups
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 5 cups (1.25 L) rolled oats
- 1 cup (250 mL) raw almonds
- 1 cup (250 mL) pecan halves
- 1 cup (250 mL) hulled raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup (250 mL) hulled raw sunflower seeds
- ¾ cup (185 mL) sesame seeds or hemp hearts
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) ground cinnamon
- 1½ tsp (7 mL) ground ginger
- ½ tsp (2 mL) nutmeg
- ½ tsp (2 mL) cloves
Wet Ingredients:
- ¾ cup (185 mL) unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup (125 mL) maple syrup
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
Dried Fruit:
- 1 bag (70 g) apple chips, crushed
- 1 cup (250 mL) dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- In a large bowl, use your hands to toss together dry ingredients (I find that they mix more thoroughly this way than just stirring.) In a smaller bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto two baking sheets.
- Bake, rotating the pans once halfway and stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a golden brown, about 30 minutes.
- Remove the granola from the oven and stir in the dried fruit. Continue to stir occasionally as it cools so that the granola doesn’t harden into a solid mass. Once it is cooled completely, store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
